photos by Picl

Dickson's Farm Stand Meats, nestled inside the vaults of New York's Chelsea Market, is a place of many wonders, and just one of the many delights they carry is the rolled and tied lamb belly.

Lamb belly—a rare cut by New York City butcher standards—is indeed a different beast than its well-lauded counterpart the pork belly, the latter having nicely foraged its way into mainstream food culture over the past two years. Lamb belly offers large amounts of luscious, high quality fat, with a richer, gamier, distinctly "lamby" flavor profile. The exterior of the roulade (or "roll") is a glistening pale ivory which will immediately ignite in the true cook's heart the desire to sear it to a golden crisp.

 

Our choice of searing agent was grapeseed oil, which the gods have blessed with a high smoking point, and therefore the capacity to brown meats really nicely. In the second stage of searing, we add butter to get that extra moisture and color to the surface of the meat. The butter also helps the thyme, garlic, and onions to disperse their flavor all over the meat.

After the initial searing stage, the entire pan is transferred to the oven (with a good amount of high quality dark stock added) for a good old open-pot braise. The idea is to cook the meat rather quickly, keep it moist, and create a finishing sauce from the pan juices.

The fat in the inner section of the roulade will stay somewhat chewy when you cook it in this way—which we love—and will contrast well with the crispy exterior, which is achieved through this hot oven braising/basting technique. There are no rules of course; One could certainly extend the cooking time by one or more hours and attempt to cook the lamb to shreds, pulled pork-style.

Dickson himself recommends avoiding an overdose of rich, fatty meat by serving it in smaller portions as an appetizer—probably a more sensible avenue than the heaping portion of protein that concluded this experiment. The end result that we reached was infinitely rewarding, of course, but nonetheless a strong stomach and a close couch will be two sure allies in this enterprise.

What to serve lamb belly with? On this cold blustery evening, we decided upon a mix of lacinato kale, back bacon (another rarity available at Dickson's), and shiitake mushrooms. Tired volumes have been blogged about how wintry and seasonal kale is, but we will add that shiitake mushrooms provided incomparable texture to such a green. The lemon juice at the final stage is crucial for a touch of acidity to complement the various fats in the dish.

In terms of wine pairing, we recommend an oaky, malolactically-fermented Chardonnay from Napa Valley, or a spicy, fruit-forward Argentine Syrah or Malbec.

 

Recipe: Roasted Lamb Belly with Kale, Back Bacon, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Baby Potatoes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Lamb Belly:
1 2 to 3-pound boned, rolled and tied lamb belly
Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Grapeseed oil
1 bunch thyme sprigs
3 cloves garlic
1 stick butter
6 cipollini onions, peeled
1.5 pounds baby potatoes
2 cups veal or dark chicken stock

To Assemble and Serve:
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1/4 pound back bacon, diced
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, roughly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Method

For the Lamb Belly:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a heavy, oven-proof pan on your stove's largest burner, heat the grapeseed oil until very hot. Season the lamb belly and sear it on all sides until the entire surface is deep, golden brown. Add 3-4 thyme sprigs, garlic, onions, and 1/3 of the stick of butter. Continue roasting the lamb, basting it continuously with a long spoon. Add 1.5 cups of stock.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 1.5 hours. Add the potatoes and the remaining stock. Cook for another 30 minutes. Turn the oven off. Remove the pan from oven. Reserve the meat, onions, and potatoes on a wire rack or plate in the oven with the oven door open for 10-15 minutes. Using sturdy oven mitts, transfer the pan back to the stove over high heat. Reduce the pan juices, scraping off any brown bits from the bottom of the pan until beginning to thicken. Whisk in the remaining butter butter to the liquid until incorporated and thick. Season and transfer liquid to a sauce boat.

To Assemble and Serve:
While the meat is resting, saute the back bacon over high heat until crispy. Drain the bacon fat, leaving a tablespoon Add the kale and shiitake mushrooms. Cook until the kale is wilted and the mushrooms are soft, yet hot. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice. Slice the lamb belly to desired thickness. On the plate, pile the kale mix in the center. Top with the slice of lamb. Arrange the potatoes and onions around the dish. Drizzle the lamb sauce on and around the lamb.